Writing the Literature Review

"This is an excellent book which explains clearly the principles and practice of systematic reviews. The order of contents is logical, information is easy to find and the contents are written for a wide audience from student to practitioner. There are copious examples and illustrations and these should inspire confidence in the novice and remind the expert what the essential features of a good systematic review are. This book should be on every undergraduate and postgraduate reading list for courses on research methods." Roger Watson, Professor of Nursing, The University of Hull, UK "This book provides a clear and concise guide for students to produce a systematic review of evidence in health care ... The material is presented as a logical series of steps starting with developing a focussed question up to completing the review and disseminating its findings ... To facilitate the review a number of blank forms are presented for the reader to copy and complete in relation to the topic which they are pursuing ... I would wholly recommend this text." Ian Atkinson, previously Senior Lecturer in Research Methods & Assistant Editor Journal of Clinical Nursing Does the idea of writing a systematic literature review feel daunting? Are you struggling to work out where to begin? By walking you carefully through the entire process from start to finish and breaking the task down into manageable steps, this book is the perfect workbook companion for students undertaking their first literature review for study or clinical practice improvement. Co-published with the Nursing Standard, this handy book: Goes into detail about the precise and practical steps required to carry out a systematic literature review Uses a workbook format, with 3 running examples that you can work through gradually as you carry out your review Offers suggestions and tips to help you write up your own review Features useful templates to help you stay organised and includes case-studies to identify good practice Highlights the pitfalls to avoid Written in an engaging, conversational style with clear explanations throughout, How to do a Systematic Literature Review in Nursing is invaluable reading for all nursing students as well as other healthcare professionals.

This book is designed to help you achieve one specific goal. It's not designed to give you the philosophies of conducting research. It's not designed to give you a background in a specific academic discipline or a specific topic. It's not designed to give you theory. It's designed specifically to instruct you in the practicalities of the writing process used to create strong, thorough, and potentially bulletproof literature reviews. This book is the culmination of years of research experience. It's also the culmination of several years of teaching writing and critical thinking to doctoral students. Although it began as a tool for doctoral students, it has been expanded to be useful for everyone from senior high school students through doctoral candidates working on developing their first literature review or a larger literature review than they normally develop. It has been created for everyone from academics to new business entrepreneurs with good ideas who are trying to write their first reviews to support the new idea they're proposing.

"An excellent and accessible text that will help all students and scholars to develop a strong review and enable them to outline and analyse the key ideas for their study. The structure of the book is really well thought out and the chapters are written in a way which readers will find helpful and easy to understand. I would highly recommend this book to research students." Professor Mark Brundrett, Liverpool John Moores University, UK This step-by-step handbook provides comprehensive and practical guidance on the process of researching a range of relevant literature on a subject, as well as planning and writing a literature review. The book takes a student friendly approach to offer complete novices a simple review of a process which is often central to producing a research study. Succeeding with your Literature Review will enable you to: Design a literature review which is related to the main facets of a research project Conduct a logically-planned search for relevant literature Determine which literature is most suited to inclusion in your study Analyse the literature, drawing comparisons and connections where appropriate Appraise the strengths and weaknesses of relevant literature Write logically and rationally about the key features of literature Write a literature review in a sound academic style Understand how to relate a literature review to other elements of your study or dissertation Written by an author with extensive experience of supervising and examining undergraduate, Masters and doctoral dissertations, this book covers the latest trends, such as: RSS feeds, wikis, grey literature, blogs and forms of open access publishing. The book also includes examples of common pitfalls, good practice, key terms and questions to reinforce student learning and reflection. Succeeding with your Literature Review is relevant in all subject areas and is essential reading for third year undergraduate and postgraduate students.

′I highly recommend Diana Ridley′s book. One of its great strengths is its relevance to all students in Higher Education required to undertake a literature review. A sense of security prevailed in the presence of the author′s uncomplicated writing style and pages rightly divided into manageable chunks...[This book] lives up to its claim to contain extensive practical tips on how to prepare, organise and write a successful literature review′ - ESCalate Review The Literature Review is a concise step-by-step guide to conducting a literature search and writing up the literature review chapter in Masters dissertations and in Ph.D. and professional doctorate theses. Diana Ridley describes how to carry out a literature review in a systematic, methodical way, providing useful strategies for efficient reading, conducting searches, organising information and writing the review itself. Examples of best and worst practice drawn from real literature reviews are included throughout to demonstrate how the guidance can be put into practice. This is an accessible, pragmatic and highly practical resource that will be welcomed by postgraduate students of any discipline.

How do I start my literature review? What sources can I go to for information? How do I analyse the work of others? This clear, practical book guides readers undertaking their own literature review through the process, giving them the skills and knowledge they need for success. The chapters address: - Different types of literature reviews - Critically analysing material - Presenting the final piece of work - Best practice in referencing and plagiarism - Systematic approaches to literature reviews It will be an essential guide for all nursing and all allied healthcare students, as well as professionals working in practice.

This bestselling book is a step-by-step guide to doing a literature review in health and social care. It is vital reading for all those undertaking their undergraduate or postgraduate dissertation or any research module which involves a literature review. The book provides a practical guide to doing a literature review from start to finish. This third edition includes: Even more examples of real life research scenarios More emphasis on how to ask the right question New and updated advice on following a clear search strategy Expanded guide to using a range of critical appraisal tools More coverage of how to write up your results Doing a Literature Review in Health and Social Care, 3rd Edition is essential reading for students at all levels within the health and social care field and a useful text for anyone new to reviewing and appraising evidence. Amazon reviews for the 2nd edition: "This really helped me complete my dissertation. Well set out, easy to understand and for literature review beginners a very good place to start." "This book has really helped me understand what a literature review is, and gives great insight into what is expected from your literature review." "Buy this book: it's a God send!" Over 25,000 copies sold "This deceptively small book provides a comprehensive, user-friendly, step-by-step guide to the development of a literature review. Key strengths are the clarity of expression and the logical flow of information. Chapters match the stages of a literature review, from start to finish. Useful examples and key questions will help to keep the reader on track. With this book as your guide, developing a literature review need not be a daunting or overwhelming task." Dr Merryl E Harvey, Senior Academic, Faculty of Health, Birmingham City University, UK